Are You Applying The Overload Principle?

At HouseFit we have the privilege of helping older adults regain and maintain their independence through the use of exercise. We find our approach to be more effective than typical senior exercise classes. How do you know if your exercise routine is good enough to help you reach your goals? One way to ensure you’re getting the most out of your exercise routine is to make sure you’re applying the Overload Principle in your workouts.

The Overload Principle is defined as doing more than you are currently used to. Your body adapts to the stresses you place on it. If you sit on the couch all day, your body adapts to that stress by getting stiffer and weaker. On the flip side, if you start to lift weights heavier than what you’re used to, you will see gains in your overall strength. The goal is to place enough stress on your body to make change (increased strength) without causing failure (injury).
For strength training in particular, I recommend starting with a low weight and then progressing to higher weights as your current weight gets easier. A good rule of thumb when starting a strengthening routine is to find a weight where you can perform the exercise 10 times in a row, take a 1-2 minute break and then repeat again without compromising your form. Once that becomes easy, it’s time to increase the weight.
When you first increase the weight you may not be able to complete 2 sets of 10 reps right away at the heavier weight, that’s perfectly normal and to be expected. The most important thing to focus on is good form and breathing. I encourage all of my clients to count out loud when lifting weights. This helps them avoid holding their breath when exercising, which is a common habit many adults have. The problem with this is that holding your breath when you exert yourself, also known as a Valsalva maneuver, can raise your blood pressure.
The goal is to be able to perform 8-10 repetitions of each exercise and then repeat. For example, if I’m performing an activity for my legs, I would perform 10 repetitions on my right side, then 10 repetitions on my left side, then repeat for both. It’s ok to take a 1-2 min rest in between the sets. You need to be exercising at a level that is challenging. It should be somewhat hard to complete the last few repetitions in order to achieve true overload.
When you’re just starting out, slowly increasing the weights will help prevent injury and decrease the soreness you experience. When you start a new exercise routine, it’s normal to have some soreness. Often you won’t feel that soreness for 1-2 days after performing the activity. This is a phenomenon known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). The more intense your workout, the more intense you can expect the DOMS to be, which is why we start with lower weight. Many people don’t like to be sore after exercising, as it deters them from continuing with the program. We think slow and steady increases is the best option.
Pay close attention to your soreness. I teach my clients to differentiate between muscle soreness and joint soreness. If it’s muscle soreness, then we’re on the right track, strengthening the muscles as intended. If the pain is in the joint, then we need to consider if we are performing the activity correctly or if maybe the weight is too high.
At HouseFit we monitor our clients and encourage them to push themselves to new levels of strength every day. As with anything in life consistency and continuing to challenge yourself are key!

​-Dr. Beth